Female Rappers Who Influenced Hip-Hop

Fearless, powerful and unapologetic.

The Hip-Hop industry is tough as a whole. So, when it comes to female rappers, it’s even more tough. In a male dominated industry, female emcees have to work twice as hard and sometimes submit to over-sexualizing their look to be taken seriously and appeal to fans. But that doesn’t take away from their lyrical skills. Earlier this year, VH1 honored Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott and Lil Kim for their contribution to hip-hop. These women and the ones you are about to see have made legendary names for themselves and will forever go down in hip-hop history.

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Queen Latifah

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Back in the 90s, Queen Latifah was literally the spokesperson for putting ladies first. She was one of the first female MCs to show young girls that they can do anything and was adamant in her messages of female power. Still inspiring those who came after her, she has made her mark not only in music, but movies and television.

Nicki Minaj

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Even though she had a long period of rapping in her Barbie-like character, Nicki started out spitting hardcore rhymes. Fans loved her mixtapes, which is the reason she is the first lady of Young Money. Her Barbie gimmick has helped her cross over into genres that no female MC has gone before and has led to her evolution as an entrepreneur, creating avenues behind her barbie brand. Since she stepped on the scene, she immediately rose to stardom, and is now back to the hardcore rhyming Nicki.

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Lil Kim

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The original barbie stunned consumers with her over-sexualized rap lines, but she’s still maintained her spot in hip-hop. She’s been ahead of the game since the beginning. Not only is she a hip-hop icon but when it comes to fashion, Kim is one of the best to ever do it.

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